Improvement in folding ladders



5.. B. M H'NSN.

Hiding Laders.

' melma Apm 21mm. O

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

JOHN B. JOHNSON, OF ALMA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING LADDERS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,053, dated April 21, 1874; application filed February 28, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN B. JOHNSON, of Alma, in the county of Marion and State of Illinois, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Folding Ladders 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

. clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and igures of reference marked thereon. l

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a view of my folded ladder. Fig. 2 is a view of the same extended.

rIhis invention has relation to portable folding ladders for the use of firemen and others. It consists in a jointed truck-frame for supporting the ladder when it is erected, and for moving the ladder about when folded, as will be hereinafter explained. v

In the annexed drawings,A A designate two frames, which are constructed with` legs a o, and mounted on wheels B. This is the truck, on which the ladder is erected, and by means of which it can be easily moved from oneplace to another. The frame A is rigidly secured to the axle-bed of the truck-wheels B, and the frame A is hinged to this frame, so that it can be adjusted, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2, when it is desired to roll the ladder about. Vhen said section A is adjusted as described, it will be so held by means of rods C, which are hooked over pins b. The ladder represented in the drawings is composed of three sections, D D D, but it may be composed of a less or a greater number of sections. The ends of the bottom round c of the lowest section extend out from the rails, and have their bear= ings in notches made in the outer ends of the truck -frame section A, over which notches hooks e are turned, that keep the round c in its place. The bottom section of the ladder is thus pivoted to the truck-frame so that it can be folded, as shown in Fig. l, or erected and steadied against a cross-bar, G, as shown inI Fig. 2.

The ladder is erected by unfolding the sections and adjusting them in line with each other. The sections are then forced together by an endwise movement, which adjusts the forked ends h or the side rails and the elongated portions of the holes j through these rails upon their respective iiattened portions of the rounds g gk This splices the sections and rigidly connects them together. By pulling the sections endwise their forked ends h will be detached from their rounds g', and the ends of the rounds g will be brought withiuv the circular portions of the holes jf, thus allowing the sections to be folded and laid over the truck, as shown in Fig. l.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A ladder-truck composed of the frame-sections A A, hinged together and mounted on wheels B and legs a., in combination with the hooked rods, as andfor the purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my 'name in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

J. R. SLANE, J. H. SLANE. 

